Distance: 20 miles
Start/Finish: Macomb State Park Beach and Day Use Area

Our objective for the third Mountain Goat Climb Series was Big Hill Rd and Reservoir Rd up to the Mother Cabrini Shrine. Wow, did I ever mention how I love a good climb? My usual road loops normally bypass this area so I never get to fully enjoy these roads; I’m missing out on some extra fun.

Clinton County NY has some of the nicest road bicycling in the Northeast United States. I can say that with confidence. We have great roads, little traffic, lakeshore scenery, and Adirondack Mountain backdrops. The only complaint might be the short riding season and lack of any major elevation gains. Being located at the foothills of the Adirondacks, we have mostly rolling terrain, but some good hills can be found if you tool around enough. No “Hor Category” stuff, but creative route linking easily reproduces a nice local version of the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

"These trails are constructed for motor vehicles operating at a high rate of speed" ... "The state argues that the new trails will enable DEC to close routes in the interior of the Preserve, enhancing its overall wildness."

"Public hearings are going on right now in towns and cities across New York state. In all there are a total of 102 different parcels being affected by various proposed changes, some of them major and some minor."

"How nature and the outdoors are appreciated or experienced differs across cultures. We must therefore continue to understand what people care about and why, as well as how forests are viewed, valued, and being used by our changing communities."

"The destinations presented in the media are generally so unattainable by most people that they might as well be on the moon–and don’t even bother going if you’re not wearing expensive, high-tech apparel and using modern, high-priced gear."

"The Adirondacks may be relatively young mountains, but their distinctive grey granite, anorthosite, originated 1.1 billion ago, so deep in the earth's crust that only continental collision could have formed it."

"The Tribe believes the County’s efforts to impose taxation or regulation of businesses on tribal land is not only unlawful, it creates an undue economic burden that is harmful to our community’s economic development and enterprises."

"... our legislators decided to turn it over to a sketchy non-profit corporation that is not subject to the same scrutiny under the FOIL [Freedom of Information Law] and Open Meetings Law that every other agency is."

"In my opinion, a lot of the problem is that ORDA and the Convention and Visitors Bureau don't work together, year round, for the common goal of promoting the community, for the benefit of the whole region."